Re: What is a family? | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Molly Williams (mmwwaveinter.com) | |
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 17:31:02 -0600 (MDT) |
I agree with Stephanie's comments about family and diversity. We are a family consisting of a married couple and 2 aged dogs, and we have a lot to offer to our closest neighbours -- 2 female partners who have two young adopted sons -- including babysitting, different viewpoints and lifestyles, a male's viewpoint and strengths, tea-party hosting for the kids and adults, lots of kids' books and videos, and mostly, our unhurried time. A small year-round island off Portland, Maine, was advertising a couple of years ago for "families" (meaning, with children), and I remember my feeling of disappointment then that we were being excluded and were unwanted in a community on the basis of our decision not to have children. Seems short-sighted. Like Stephanie, I can understand wanting playmates for kids, but please keep in mind that playmates -- and other important people in kids' lives -- don't always have to be the same age as the kids. ~ Molly Wms. (Maine) Stephanie Weigel wrote: > > After reading the email from the group in Arizona, who are trying to decide > whether to open up some recently available homes in their communities to > "families", I was somewhat uneasy when I came to realize that by familes > they meant "people with children". I consider myself, my 2 dogs, and 2 > cats, a family. This is how we are constituted now, but we also include > the potential for additions down the road -- children, a partner, heaven > help us more dogs or cats, or maybe a good friend would decide to join the > family and we might live together as a functioning unit. None of us really > knows what the future holds. > > I recognize that people with children are eager to have playmates for their > children in community. It also seems that lots of cohousing discussion > centers around attracting "diversity". I would offer that diversity > includes diversity of family strucutures. Who knows what some of the > people who might join in one of those 3 available units might have to > offer? Sometimes it seems it may be wise to trust the process of the > universe to bring those to us that are maybe meant to be there. > > This is in no way meant to critisize the Milagro (great name!) folks, > recognizing that they like all communities are working to do what is best > for their group. Rather, in these scary times it seems important to me as a > single person to ask for inclusive consideration rather than exclusion. I > am also interested in others' ideas of what a "family" is. > > Peace. > > Stephanie Weigel > sjweigel [at] students.wisc.edu > Madison, WI > Troy Gardens Cohousing (a community in formation) > _______________________________________________ Cohousing-L mailing list Cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org Unsubscribe and other info: http://www.communityforum.net/mailman/listinfo/cohousing-l
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What is a family? Stephanie Weigel, September 23 2001
- Re: What is a family? Sharon Villines, September 23 2001
- Re: What is a family? Molly Williams, September 23 2001
- Re: What is a family? Elizabeth Stevenson, September 23 2001
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